


Good Soldiers Follow Orders

by Tea_For_One_Please



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Friends to Enemies, Gen, Internal Conflict, Internal Monologue, No Romance, One Shot, Order 66 (Star Wars), POV CT-7567 | Rex, POV Third Person, S7E10 - Shattered
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-15 19:09:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28693737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tea_For_One_Please/pseuds/Tea_For_One_Please
Summary: With Mandalore won and Maul imprisoned, Commander Rex might have been forgiven for thinking that the war was almost over.
Relationships: CT-7567 | Rex & Ahsoka Tano
Kudos: 16





	Good Soldiers Follow Orders

Through the colossal viewing windows of the Venator, the stars seemed to lengthen, and the swirling hyperspace vortex engulfed the ship, leaving Mandalore far behind it. Commander Rex shifted his helmet, clutched under his shoulder, and looked down at his young companion. It occurred to him momentarily that it was strange how he always thought of Ahsoka as ‘young’, despite the fact that she was several years his senior.

“Something on your mind?” he asked cautiously, and her shoulders heaved in a sigh. He could in no way sense the Force around him, but in that moment, the weight of her emotions resonated in his soul too.

“As a Jedi,” she replied, “we were trained to be keepers of the peace, not soldiers.” Rex twitched an eyebrow; regardless of the immense respect he held for the Jedi, this creed had not seemed to apply to many Jedi he had encountered in the years he had served them. “But all I’ve been since I was a Padawan is a soldier,” she added with a gently derisive chuckle.

At her words, Rex’s mind flew back to the first day they had met, when a Republic shuttle had landed amongst their ships on Christophsis, surprising General Skywalker with a cocky, reckless new apprentice. How long ago that seemed; how much they had been through and lost; how much they had changed since that moment.

“Well,” he said, unsure what words of comfort he could offer, “I’ve known no other way. Gives us clones all a mixed feeling about the war. Many people,” he went on, “wish it never happened – but without it, we clones wouldn’t exist.”

Ahsoka turned to face him at last, and he was relieved to observe that she seemed reassured. “Well, then perhaps some good has come from all of it,” she said gently. “The Republic couldn’t have asked for better soldiers – nor I a better friend.”

Profoundly moved by this statement, Rex found himself unable to respond, but when she raised a hand to her brow in a sincere salute, he reciprocated the gesture without hesitation.

“Commander Rex,” said a voice from behind him, breaking him out of his reverie, “the latest briefing has come in.”

“Want to have a look?” Rex gestured towards the briefing room, suddenly hopeful. “It might have an update on General Kenobi’s efforts.” It could hardly come soon enough: the death of the monstrous General Grievous would signify the end of the war, and a return to life as the galaxy knew it.

But Ahsoka shook her head. “You go,” she said, and it occurred to him that she seemed preoccupied. “I’m sure it’s more good news.”

He nodded and smiled at her, before turning away and following the bridge officer into the briefing room.

“Do you know what this is about?”

“No, sir,” replied the officer, “but it’s from the Chancellor’s office.”

“Why didn’t you say so?” Rex demanded, alarmed. “Put it through, and transmit it to the others. If it’s from the Chancellor, it’s probably important.”

The holoscreen flickered, and the image of a hooded figure faded into view. Rex suddenly felt uneasy, as though an unpleasant memory, somewhere in the back of his mind, was stirring.

“Commander Rex.” The Chancellor’s usually dulcet tones were lower and rougher than usual, an observation which did not comfort him. “The war is over. Execute Order 66.”

“Yes, Lord Sidious,” Rex replied. Exactly how he knew the true identity of the Sith Lord who addressed him, he could not say, but it mattered little. After all, the war was over, and he had a job to do: the Jedi had turned against the Republic, and there would be consequences for their treachery. Nevertheless, the uncomfortable feeling in the back of his mind still lingered. Could Ahsoka, of all people, really have betrayed them too?

His mind drifted, inexplicably, to a face so like his, which he had last seen through the unforgiving glow of a ray shield; the face of a terrified man who Rex had never been convinced had gone insane. _The mission… the nightmares… they’re finally over…_ These words had haunted Rex in the months since, tormenting him, reminding him of the truths which had been kept hidden from him, and the questions which he’d never been permitted to ask.

The blast doors slid smoothly open, and Rex leaned against the holotable for support, trying to silence the two voices battling inside his mind.

“Rex.” Ahsoka’s voice cut through his mental turmoil, and he opened his eyes. “It’s Anakin. I feel like something terrible has happened.” Although he could not see it, he could hear the familiar clicking of plastoid armour, as his brothers dutifully raised their blasters. As his distinctive helmet fell to the floor with a dull _thud_ , Rex could tell that the protesting voice in his mind was losing, and he knew he did not have much time. “Rex?”

“No,” he ordered, turning to face Ahsoka. Sure enough, two DC-15A blasters were pointed directly at her head by the troopers who flanked her, and from the corner of his eye, he could see the bridge officer removing his pistol from its holster. “I’ll do it.”

“Rex, what’s happening?”

“Stay back!” He lifted his own twin blaster pistols, forcing himself to ignore the stricken expression on Ahsoka’s face. He noticed her hands twitch gently towards the lightsaber hilts clipped to her belt.

“Find him,” he said, forcing out the words through gritted teeth. “Find him. Fives.” His voice began to shake; his head was splitting with pain from the effort of speaking the treasonous words, but he _had_ to persist. “Find him – _Fives!_ ” The last word burst out of him in a shout, and as if of their own accord, his blasters fired. With the last of his strength, he tilted them upwards, away from Ahsoka, as she threw herself at him.

Everything seemed to happen at once. The back of his skull hit the holotable with enough force to crack it, and as he recovered, the small room was filled with the all-too-familiar hum of lightsabers. He vaguely heard her call his name again, as the blast doors behind him opened, and Jesse and Ridge’s voices called out over the din. He shook his head to dispel the dizziness from his eyes, then turned around and began to fire, all misgivings waived. The air glowed blue from the traitor’s weapons and their blaster bolts alike, and a few of Rex’s brothers fell as their shots rebounded from the spinning beams of sapphire energy, positioned high on the holotable. Smoke began to rise, and without warning, the hum of Tano’s lightsabers stopped.

“She’s down, she’s down!” Ridge shouted, and Jesse held up a hand.

“Hold your fire – we got her!”

An eerie silence followed, broken only by the hiss of sparks falling from the ceiling onto the holotable – but Tano’s body was not there. They approached with caution, and Rex’s eyes widened when he saw the source of the sparks: their shots had been deflected into the ceiling over and over, drilling a small hole, through which a young Force-wielder could have jumped with ease. Rex’s eyes narrowed as he lowered his blasters to his sides. Tano had escaped, certainly – but they were onboard ship. She could not evade them for long.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this! I've not written solely Star Wars stories before, so I'd be interested to hear your thoughts, either in a comment or on Tumblr (my URL is @tea-for-one-please)!


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